


The Suit and the Pen

by crescent_gaia



Category: Castle, Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-05
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-28 07:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/671622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescent_gaia/pseuds/crescent_gaia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/237431">Noise</a> - With Castle's life spinning out of control if he doesn't make a decision on writing the next Nikki Heat book, Harvey comes in and picks up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning After Glow

**Author's Note:**

> **Warnings:** Sex, bondage, blow job in a upscale taxi. Spoilers for all of season 1 of _Suits_ and up to the end of season 3 of _Castle_. Also huge spoilers for  Heat Rises, a tie in book to the _Castle_ series.
> 
>  **Author's Note:** I do not own _Castle_ or _Suits_ or any of its characters. Please enjoy. Art will be posted sometime in the future.

Harvey walked into the office the night after he spent with Richard. He smiled a bit as he noticed that Mike was actually at the office on a Saturday as he went in. He pressed the up button and waited for the elevator to come before stepping in. As he did, there was a ring on his cell phone alerting him to a new email. He sighed and looked at it. It was an in house email, of course, stating from his boss that Richard's publishers were going to cancel the contract. He shook his head, realizing that he was right from last night and road the elevator to his floor. He stepped out, went to his office and put down his jacket and briefcase. He went over to his files, pulled out the contract and started to walk out. "I already know," he said to Donna as she tried to stop him.

"About the publishers or about Page Six?" Donna asked as she handed him the newspaper. 

"What?" Harvey asked and took the paper. "Damnit," he said as he saw that he and Richard were photographed going out of the club. "He had too much to drink in a place he shouldn't be. I went in, cleaned him up, and got him home. He's still in mourning."

"It's been a year," Jessica said as she came up to Harvey and Donna. "His publishers aren't happy and want to close out his contract."

"They do realize that the Nikki Heat novels are only now coming off of the bestsellers and will be going back up when the memorial comes around?" Harvey asked. "He's going to write a third. He just needs ...well, he needs time."

"He doesn't have it. And you know as well as I do that the publishers aren't going to like that and cite nonperformance. And, as his lawyer, you're going to have to go against that. To a judge who doesn't think about the emotions and sticks to the facts," Jessica pointed out. 

Harvey started to speak and then sighed. "Mike will be going over the contract. I am going to talk to Richard and see if he's calmed down a bit from last night. And I am going to curse about doing good deeds for my friends."

"Don't do that too loudly," Jessica said before she walked away. 

"Think she knows?" Harvey asked Donna quietly.

"Oh, and Harvey - I'll cover page six. You make sure that we don't lose," said.

Harvey nodded a yes before taking himself and the file down to where Mike was working. He stood in front of the cube and waited for Mike to look up. "Please tell me you're not on your third Red Bull and it's only ten."

"It's not my third," Mike said as he made sure the other can make it into the trash where it landed on top of the first. "Please tell me you have something pressing for me to do so I can get out of Louis' pet project of digging up the archives for information that we can get rid of."

"I might," Harvey said and gave Mike the file. "Read it, find any loopholes that can help our client, and make detailed notes about nonperformance."

"Sure," Mike said. "Who wrote it?"

"I did," Harvey said. "I want it on my desk by end of today. Take a conference room and Jessica with you. If Louis tries to stop you, he can go to Jessica. This is our priority for the moment."

"Okay," Mike said. "But wouldn't you - "

"Just do it," Harvey said as he turned and left the area. He checked his cell phone - no new emails and no new texts. He stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall as he dialed Richard's cell phone. He grumbled as it went to voice mail and just hung up. He went back to his office, made a few notes, before getting his coat. He didn't like that he was going to have to pay Richard a visit, but it was needed.

*~*~*~*

Harvey knocked on the door and grumbled as he didn't hear anything. He was glad that he had a spare key as he used it to go into the apartment. He knew that it didn't help that Alexis had gone off to college and Martha had moved out. It just left Richard alone in the apartment and he knew that was a recipe for disaster some nights. "Richard?!" He called as he looked around. He shook his head and cleaned up a bit as he heard Richard moving around upstairs. He started the coffee and looked through the refrigerator. He wrinkled his nose at the smell and closed it again. "Good morning," he said.

"Harvey, it's Saturday and before noon. What are you doing here?" Castle asked as he came down the stairs and towards his kitchen.

"Working," Harvey replied and handed Richard the newspaper. "The publishers are moving against you, Richard. I have my protégé working on looking over the contract, but you need to think about writing again. I know you don't want to, but sometimes we need to do the hard things."

Castle took the newspaper and then raised an eyebrow. "So? You were helping me get home when I was intoxicated. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it probably earns you points in the long run."

"You didn't read the entire article then," Harvey says. 

Castle sighed and read the rest. "Harvey," he said and chuckled. "Afraid of losing your edge with the ladies? This isn't all that bad."

"For you, no," Harvey says. "You're grieving and drunk. For me, on the other hand, there's a host of bad things. Including the fact that you're my client and I can't get emotionally involved. Sex is being emotionally involved."

"You sure about that?" Castle asked. "There are times when you are just phoning it in, Harvey."

Harvey just glared at Richard at that remark. "You could go back to being alone any time you want."

"I make the first joke in about a year and I get angry in return," Castle said. "Good job, Harvey."

"That wasn't a joke," Harvey said. "And if it was, you do need to brush up on your skills," he said. He sat down and looked around the apartment. "You need to clean this place up and get back to writing. I will stop their lawyers and them for as long as I can but I can't do it on my own. I need your help. They're going to want another Nikki Heat book and they're going to want it to be on par with what you've done in the past."

"Fine," Castle said. "If you have to go to them with something, they get another book. And I get to kill off Nikki Heat. And I'll have a maid service come in on Monday." He moved over and sat on Harvey’s lap, kissing his lips deeply. “And, in the meantime..?”

"The apartment is too messy to have sex in," Harvey said and laughed at seeing Richard’s pouty face. “It is!”

Castle thought about that and grinned. “Bedroom’s the cleanest room in the apartment.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow at that. “Do I want to know why that is?”

Castle grinned. “I thought I was going to have guests in there. If we’re really starting up again.” He paused and looked at Harvey with puppy dog eyes. “It would help.”

“You’re going to be the death of my career,” Harvey muttered as Richard got up and he got up as well.

“Only if people find out and they won’t,” Castle said and grabbed hold of Harvey’s tie. “Part of me is glad you always wear one.”

Harvey grinned and let himself be led through the apartment by the tie and to the bedroom. He pulled Richard to him, taking off the shirt and throwing it over to an empty chair. He kissed the middle of Richard’s neck, moving them over to the bed. 

“You’re overdressed,” Castle said, taking off Harvey’s jacket and quickly undoing the tailored shirt. He pulled it off but kept the tie on. His hands moved quickly down Harvey’s body and undid Harvey’s pants, pulling them down. “Out,” he said and Harvey stepped out of them. “That’s a lot better,” he said and used the tie to motion for Harvey to kneel.

“Now who is overdressed?” Harvey asked as he undid Richard’s pants. He pulled them down, stroking Richard’s cock for a moment before taking him in his mouth. He started to suck for a few moments, feeling Richard harden in his mouth until he felt a tug on his tie to stop. He looked up and smiled. “Up?”

“Yes,” Castle said as Harvey stood up. He kissed Harvey hard before pushing him down on the bed. He grabbed a jar, making his fingers slick before pushing his fingers into Harvey’s ass. He grinned and remembered what they did the night before. “You’re still too tight,” he said.

“I’m surprised that you still care,” Harvey said and groaned softly as Richard withdrew his fingers. 

“Considering you’re mine, I always care,” Castle said before pushing hard and deep. He held himself there, kissing the middle of Harvey’s neck before gently nipping there. “Unless you don’t want to be anymore,” he said as he slowly started to pull out.

“I’m all in, you know that,” Harvey said. “Just because we stopped for a few years doesn’t mean I don’t want to start again.”

“Good,” Richard said as he pushed back in. He started up a fast rhythm, not caring if he left bruises or any other kinds of marks. It only took a short while before he came and felt Harvey come on his stomach. “I really think we need to stop that.”

“We tried that once, remember? Although, I think you liked the punishments more than the training,” Harvey said as he looked up at Richard. 

“We could try again,” Castle said with a grin.

“No,” Harvey said and looked at the time. “I have to get back,” he said and kisses Richard’s cheek. “I’ll be back tonight.” Richard got off of his lap and made sure that Richard had something to eat before getting in a quick shower and getting dressed. He left the apartment, not feeling as steady as he was before. He had something to bring the publishers, but he knew that he was going to get skewered for it. He would make it work - he always had and he always would.


	2. Manic Monday

On Monday morning, Harvey walked into the building and straight for his office. His mind had been swimming a bit since he woke up that morning in Richard’s bed after spending the rest of the weekend together before leaving for his own apartment to get ready for work. Then again, it always did that, due to the fact that he wasn't sure where his sexual loyalties lie. He tried to push that out of his mind as he looked at the messages there for him. He sat down and returned a few calls. He was on the last one when Mike came in and he pointed the boy to a seat. "Thank you for your time, senator," he said as he made a few final notes and looked over at Mike, who had a questioning look on his face. "The senator has his will with us. It's not uncommon, considering that it's the senator from New York."

"Well, that's a good thing then," Mike said as he came over to where he was supposed to be sitting. He never really sat when Harvey told him to. He knew that Harvey didn't fully like that but never made a comment about it. "So, about the contract."

"No loopholes?" Harvey asked.

"Oh there are a good many of those," Mike said. "It's kind of funny, considering that you were the one to pen it."

"Why are you using a British term?" Harvey asked.

"Watched way too much Doctor Who last night to be with a girl," Mike said. "Rare night off."

"I'm going to have to make sure that doesn't happen in the future," Harvey said. "Going back to my penning - yes, there are some loopholes."

"Four, to be exact," Mike said and shrugged. "Again, a bit shocking."

"Not really," Harvey said. "Writing isn't an exact sport on the writer's end. There are writer blocks, typos, and other such things. I've been told different things over the years. I don't fully trust them, considering they come from a writer who possibly is only trying to get out of having to do things."

"What, you don't think writer blocks are real?" Mike asked.

"I just think they're a means to an end," Harvey said. "This is why Richard only gets five per book. That was me more than him. He wanted seven. I told him that he couldn't possibly have that much and be expected to get so good of an advance. Or a payout for that matter."

Mike raised an eyebrow. It wasn't uncommon for Harvey to use the client's first name. It was the fact that he could sense there was something else there. It was the same way that he used to talk about Jenny and now Rachel. That was something else that he was going to have to look into and make sure that Harvey didn't notice so he didn't lose his job. "So, yes, the writer's block loophole - that's on their side though. They're more than willing to wait if there is a mental block that is diagnosed by a psychologist or a psychiatrist."

"Getting him to see a psychologist. That'll go over well," Harvey said. "What else?"

Mike looked over his notes. "This isn't a loophole but more of something to look into - if he gives back fifty one percent of any advance on a book, they'll give him another six months to finish. He'll get back his advance money after the book is published and makes a profit."

"Good to know. What else?" Harvey asked.

Mike looked through his notes, knowing that Harvey was probably getting impatient. He listed some other loopholes that Harvey dismissed as ones that they couldn't use. "So, what is he going to do?" He asked.

"He's going to write," Harvey said. "But he's going to want to kill off Nikki Heat."

"What?!" Mike asked. "He can't do that."

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because it's Nikki Heat," Mike said. "And his fans are waiting for what he's going to be doing next. Just killing her off - most of them are thinking that he's going to do that. At least, on the message boards anyways."

"You looked at the message boards?" Harvey asked.

"Well, I'm a bit of a fan," Mike said with a grin. "So, can I meet him?"

"No," Harvey said as he watched Mike’s grin slide off of his face. "Maybe. I'll tell him about what his fans think. But I think he knows that already."

"No, he doesn't," Mike said. "At the official boards, he has a screen name and is an honorary admin. He hasn't signed on - well, he hasn't signed on since her death. Since the anniversary is coming up, they're hoping that he'll make some bit of return. Like he needed his period of mourning and they're willing to respect that." He opened his file and gave Harvey the pages that he printed out that stated this. 

"We're not in the PR business though," Harvey said as he looked over the pages.

"Well, good that you have them if you need them," Mike said. "Anything else?"

"Not at the moment," Harvey said. He looked up as Mike turned to leave. "And I'll see what I can do about you meeting him."

Mike grinned at hearing that. "Thanks Harvey," he said and let the office.

Harvey smiled at that and reached out for the phone. "Yes, I need to speak to Gina Cowell. It's Harvey Specter," he said and listened to the music as he was connected to her. 

"Well well, Harvey," Gina said. "Have you been able to smack sense into him yet?" She asked.

"Not yet," Harvey said. "And I've got loopholes stating that you don't need to take action."

"But we need to," Gina said. "He's costing us money."

"Money that you have and are more than going to get back when he comes up with the novel," Harvey said. 

"Is he actually writing again?" Gina asked.

"Yes," Harvey said. "And I'm dragging him to a psychologist so we can get everything sorted out."

Gina laughed. "He's not going to go."

"He will," Harvey said. "But we should probably all have a meeting. What's your calendar like?"

"You mean my calendar and our in house council?" Gina asked and looked at her calendar. "I'll have to double check but how is a week from today? If he's writing, we're going to want proof. And that gives you a bit of time to set up an appointment or get him to someone if you can."

Harvey checked his calendar and saw that he didn't need to be in court for any reason. "Good enough for me."

"See you then," Gina said and hanged up the phone.

Harvey looked at the time and then at his calendar. He got up and put on his jacket, grabbing a name out of his rolodex and going out to Donna. "Call her for me. I need an appointment before this time next week and that we'll take Saturday or Sunday if she has it open."

"You're seeing a psychologist now?" Donna said as she took the card. "Doctor Dani - she's done good work for you."

"No - for Richard Castle," Harvey said. "Ask her if she could come up here. If not, we'll make the trip down to her."

"Done," Donna said. "You're going to be late to court."

"I'm never late," Harvey said with a grin and turned and left for court. He went through the rest of his day quickly and was glad to be home. He sighed as he saw a message on the machine and pressed the play button.

"Hey Harvey, its Richard. Well, you'll know who it is. But I was wondering if you'd come over tomorrow night or the night after. Just to talk and what not. I'll - I'll call you later," and the message ended.

Harvey chuckled and texted Richard to say he could come over on Wednesday due to a client dinner on Tuesday. Seeing that was good for Richard, he sank into his couch and let himself relax in front of the television.


	3. Wacky Wednesday

Harvey wrote out some notes that he knew he was going to need tomorrow. He thought about what he would need to do on Monday before writing down a bit more. He didn't look up as Donna came in, probably with some messages that he had missed while he was out of the office. He raised an eyebrow as he heard her stop walking and looked up to see that she was right in front of his desk. "Did I miss something today?" He asked as he watched her study him. She handed over a newspaper folded open to Page Six and he read what was there. He chuckled, turned, and threw it in his wastebasket. "What else?" 

"So it's not true that you and Richard Castle are together?" Donna asked as she handed him his messages. "And Jessica wants to see you before you leave for the day. She said that it had something to do with Mike."

"I was helping a client get home from a bar. I cannot help where he goes to get a drink. The fact that we are also friends has nothing to do with it and the rest is all gossip that has no basis in fact," Harvey said and thought for a moment. "What about Mike?"

"About what we both know and nobody else does," Donna replied. "You're lucky that you give excellent Christmas presents."

"Don't remind me that's coming," Harvey retorted. "And you can get whatever you want, just like last year."

"And what if I want the manuscript to the unwritten Nikki Heat novel?" Donna asked as she sat down.

"Who says that there is going to be one?" Harvey said. "And I didn't know you were a fan."

"I wasn't at first. I read his first series - can't even remember the main character - and I thought they were too heavy handed. I love Nikki Heat. Jameson Rook helps as well, even if he's self inserting himself," Donna said. "And don't keep Jessica waiting. She knows your hours."

"Better than you?" Harvey asked with a grin. He got up and grabbed his suit jacket, putting it on. "You don't have to stay."

"I know," Donna said as she went back to her desk.

Harvey shook his head at that, walking out of his office and down the hallway towards Jessica's office. He felt that this was going to happen sooner or later, but he would rather it had been later. A lot later. He was wondering how he was going to defend himself and his job with the fact that Mike was a fraud. He sighed and knocked on the door frame of Jessica's office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Close the door," Jessica said and motioned for Harvey to take a seat. "I wanted to know how it was going with Richard Castle."

"He's being his usual stubborn self," Harvey replied. _Small talk before the hammer comes down_ he thought. "I think that I have an opening. He might start to write again, but at the end, it's really going to be up to him. I'm looking into getting him more time and working to make sure that we don't lose money by defending a writer who is kicked out of his publishing house."

"Good," Jessica said. "You know that I wouldn't make you drop Richard Castle."

"I know, but it needed to be said," Harvey said. "I know why you wanted to see me, Jessica."

"So we can't talk a bit more shop first?" Jessica asked.

"What did Mike do?" Harvey asked.

"It's less of what he did and more of what he didn't do," Jessica said. "You know as well as I do that Louis has been making grumblings about Mike not knowing some things about Harvard. He did graduate, but there's something that he hasn't done yet."

"...He hasn't taken the bar?" Harvey asked. He thought that his acting was top notch. He could only hope that Jessica wouldn't see through it with the tells that only she knew.

"Harvey," Jessica said.

"Too much?" Harvey asked.

"Yes," Jessica said. "Just make sure that he takes it by the next sitting. And don't do this again. I would rather be able to smack Louis down by saying that he's going a bit too conspiracy nut. You have to stop giving him ammunition."

"And I will," Harvey said.

"No you won't," Jessica said. She turned and grabbed the newspaper that was open to Page Six. "Not when you do things like this."

Harvey sighed. "He was drunk. Would you rather have our firm defend a drunk driver? He called me. I went to get him. You know about our relationship. In fact, you're the only one who knows about it. The rest is all gossip and has nothing based in fact. I haven’t even seen him since Monday."

"So you two are seeing each other again?" Jessica asked. "I thought that it was just some experiment for the both of you. I can't have you as his lawyer if you're going to be emotionally compromised." She took a beat. "Which is odd, considering you."

"Thank you, I think," Harvey said. "My emotions are in check. It remains the same though - I didn't want him to get into trouble for driving drunk. Or even buzzed. So I went when I was called. I'll make sure to bill him for it if you want me to."

"No, I don't," Jessica said. "What I want you to do is make sure that Mike is ready to take the bar."

"He already is," Harvey said. 

"How?" Jessica asked.

"He has a gift," Harvey said. "He can read something one time and just remember it. It's why I just hired him and didn't care about - well, you know. I would rather have that talent on our team rather than having it go to waste. And you know, just as well as I do, that when the time is right, he's going to be ready to step into my shoes."

Jessica sighed. "I know you're right," she said. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you about one more thing," she said and folded a sheet a paper before giving it to him.

Harvey took it and opened the paper. "Well," he said as he realized that it was making him second in command in the firm. "It's just official now."

"The board approved it unanimously," Jessica said. "That's a first."

"I'm honored," Harvey said as he looked up at Jessica. "But you know I - "

"You will," Jessica said as she handed a pen to him. "If I meet someone, I want to give over the firm so I can be with him. And have that person be able to give me back the chair when I want it. You're the best man I know for the job. Sign the damned piece of paper before I forge your signature and do it for you."

Harvey took the pen and quickly signed the piece of paper. "There's going to be more when the formal papers are drawn up."

"Yes," Jessica said. "I need this just in case and I wanted it before either of us left the building tonight. But you need to promise one thing."

"Sure," Harvey said.

"If I die tonight, you cannot have your first act be to fire Louis. In fact, you can never fire Louis unless he is disbarred," Jessica said. "I will make sure that is in the formal papers."

Harvey smiled. "Good to know," he said. "Shall we go get a drink?"

"No - I need to go meet someone," Jessica said as she stood up. She extended her hand and shook Harvey's. "I'll see you in the morning."

"That you will," Harvey said with a smile. "Jessica - why now? You're not dying, right? Did someone close die?"

Jessica sighed softly. "You can see through me just as I can see through you. Mom's in a coma," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Harvey said.

"Thanks," Jessica said. "But I need to get to the hospital and see how my dad is."

"Of course," Harvey said. "I’ll see you tomorrow," he said as he let her leave. He walked back to his office and just sank down into the chair. He was glad that, for once, Donna had left for the night. He picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. "Hi," he said. "Are you busy?" 

"No," Castle said. "Well, I'm writing, but I can finish up what I'm doing. And you were going to come over anyways. What's wrong?"

"Just - I can't talk about it over the phone," Harvey said.

"Nothing bad about the contract, I hope," Castle said.

"No," Harvey said. "Just something dropped into my lap and I need help dealing with it."

"Then come on over. I'll mix the drinks now."

"Thank you," Harvey said and hung up the phone. He grabbed everything he needed and left the office, getting into his car, and driving to Castle's apartment.


	4. Letting Off Steam

Harvey drove to Castle's apartment, trying to keep his mind on the traffic but having all sort of different thoughts come into his head. The first was if Jessica was sick or dying, but he dismissed that as she probably would have told her. The second about Jessica being pregnant, where Harvey would be insanely happy for her. He knew that she had wanted a family - she down played it, of course - but it was what she wanted. He knew that he was a bit defective in not really wanting a family or being tied down to anyone. _Well, a few select someones_ he thought as he waited at the last stop light before he got to Castle's place. He drove right past though, looking around to see if he could spot any idiots with cameras. As he didn't, he drove into the visitor's parking garage and then made his way over to Castle's apartment. He sighed and knocked on the door, smiling when Richard answered. "Did I beat the food?"

"Sadly, no. Food got here five minutes before you," Castle replied as he stepped back to let Harvey in. 

"You've actually cleaned," Harvey said as he looked around. "And that odd smell is gone."

"That's what happens when you hire a cleaning crew," Castle replied. "And stop being so surprised."

"Right," Harvey said as he eyed the laptop on the kitchen bar. He went over to it and smiled as he read a bit of the new novel. "You're writing."

"Not very well," Castle said. "It's more of trying to force something out of me. It helped when I killed off the boyfriend. I wrote more that night than I've written in a long while."

"I just hope that muse doesn't show up dead," Harvey said.

"What, you gave up criminal law?" Castle asked with a chuckle. "Help yourself - I ordered a few you like and I few I like. I figured that we're going to be here for a while."

"Right," Harvey said as he walked over and fixed himself a plate. He paid more attention to what he was doing, mostly for the fact that he could feel that Richard was watching him from behind. He turned and walked over to sit down with him. "So, how was your day?"

"I thought that tonight was to talk about yours," Castle pointed out.

"It can wait for a few moments while I hear about yours," Harvey said as he ate a bit of egg roll.

"A good amount of writing today," Castle said and shrugged. "I had a Q&A with a signing in the afternoon at Comicadia but otherwise...coffee and writing and more of the same." He stopped for a while and looked at Harvey. "How is everything going with talking the publishers into giving me more time?"

"We're looking into all the loopholes that may or may not be there," Harvey said. "You've just got to show up on Monday at nine am at the office and look put together. So, suit and a tie would work."

"My ties are usually in use," Castle retorted.

"I bet we could get the knots out of at least one of them," Harvey said. "And it's not my fault that I know how to tie knots well."

"No, of course not," Castle said and smiled. 

Harvey smiled a bit before looking down to his plate. "Jessica made me second in command."

Castle nearly choked on a bit of cashew chicken. "That was extremely fast."

"A bit," Harvey said. "She wouldn't let me leave before I signed the paperwork. There might be something wrong."

"Could be cancer, could be a million things," Castle said. "Could be that she found your secret account and is using the money to flee from you to the Caman Islands."

"Always the writer," Harvey said.

"Only when I want to be," Castle said. "I'm still thinking of killing off Nikki."

"Which is something that we're going to have to talk to them about," Harvey said. "If there's nothing in your contract saying that you have to keep with a character for a set amount of books. But you do have to realize that the public wants you to keep on with them."

"You mean the millions of people on the internet?" Castle asked.

"More like Donna," Harvey said.

"Well, if it's Donna," Castle said with a chuckle.

"I'm serious about this," Harvey said. "I think you need to weigh what you want to do and what she would want you to do."

"She hated the idea in the first place, remember?" Castle asked. "She wanted nothing to do with it and wanted to box me out. It took a while to win her trust and even that was sometimes misplaced." He sighed softly. "And - I got to say the words but I'll never know if she heard them or not."

Harvey sighed softly. "Which is why you should have said them sooner," he said quietly. He had this conversation before and he was getting tired of it. "Richard, you're not going to be able to make her come back. If there's an afterlife, you'll see her there. But if you don't, then you have to actually live. And more than just cleaning out your apartment and making sure to show up where you're supposed to. You have to realize that life is about taking risks rather than living in shadows."

Castle just stared at Harvey before he opened his mouth to ask a question. "How are you not a writer?"

"Because I like arguing more than I like putting down my thoughts," Harvey said. Since he was done eating, he got up and kissed Richard's cheek. He wasn't surprised when he was pulled down into the writer's lap and kissed passionately on the lips. "And I mean with more people than just me."

"You're the only one I want at the moment," Castle said. "And it doesn't bother you? That I loved her and still love her?"

"No," Harvey said. "I'm what you need right now and I'm okay with being that. But I won't wait forever," he said and kissed Richard passionately. They had their fun at the dinner table before moving to the bedroom where Richard wrapped around Harvey and they both went to sleep.


	5. Friday Surprise

Richard Castle sighed as he walked into the building that Harvey's office was in. He hated coming here - not because of the cab ride or anything like that - the office building always felt too clean. It always felt like something that shouldn't really be there in the mess that was New York, but there it was. _Like a beacon in the sky_ he thought to himself as he waited for the elevator. He smiled as he felt someone gently tap his shoulder and then signed their copy of whatever novel of his they were carrying around. He laughed as he signed a Kindle cover. "I think that is the first time I've done that."

"I'm very happy to be your first," the young man said with a grin.

Richard chuckled and put away his pen as the elevator got to his floor. "Only in that department," he said and heard the other people in the elevator laugh. For the first time in a while, he had a smile on his face and felt happy. He would have to thank Harvey - he was the reason behind half of the good mood. The rest came from the fans that still seemed to love him. He kept the smile as he walked over to Harvey's office and saw the lovely Donna. "Donna, you get more beautiful every time I see you," he said.

Donna smiled up at Richard Castle. "Mister Castle," she said. "He's not in yet." She lowered her voice for the next question. "Did you keep him up too late last night?" 

Castle chuckled. "No," he said. "I knew that he needed to be in. I'm also not on the calendar, but I was wondering if I might have a moment or three of his time." He knew that Donna would squeeze him in, just as she did the other times that he just dropped in on Harvey. This was not the first and wouldn't be the last.

"Maybe," Donna said as she looked at the calendar. "He's scheduled to be here in a half hour before he has a meeting he needs to sit in on. Would you like a coffee and something to eat?" She sighed as the phone rang. "Excuse me," she said. "Harvey Specter's office," she said. "Morning Harvey," she said and tried not to laugh as Castle made a face at her. "You have that meeting - no, no new messages - and Richard Castle is here to see you. Yes, I'll tell him and make sure he gets everything," she said and then hung up the phone. "He'll be here as soon as he can be."

"That would be wonderful and it's good to hear that he will be here soon," Castle said with a smile. He turned to walk in and then turned back to her. "You read Nikki Heat."

"Yes," Donna said. "Was that supposed to be a question?"

"Not really," Castle said. "What if I ended the series? Started up something with a lawyer vibe?"

"I think lawyers are covered," Donna said. "But if you want to write something about a secretary who fights crime, I'd read it in a heartbeat."

"I think Harvey would get jealous," Castle quipped. "Seriously though."

"Don't do it," Donna said. "Unless you think she would have wanted you to end it. It could be something to do in her memory and start up another series on the side." She thought for a moment and then added "maybe if you did something that wasn't in the summer, it might feel better?"

"The secretary who fights crime," Castle said with a grin. "As long as I don't get Harvey too jealous."

"Exactly," Donna said as she got up. "Cappuccino okay?"

"Wonderful and thank you for the idea," Castle said as he turned and walked into Harvey's office. He sat himself down before taking out one of the small notebooks he had on him and finding a pen in Harvey's desk. He smiled up at Donna as she delivered his cappuccino and a nice breakfast sandwich. He sipped at it as he tried to think of what to do next, looking at seeing a young lawyer at Donna's desk. "Hello," he said as the young lawyer walked in. He was somewhat happy but yet disappointed that he didn't see a copy of something he wrote in the young lawyer's hand. 

"Hi - you're Richard Castle, right? I'm Mike Ross," he said. "I work for Harvey."

"Good to meet you," Castle said with a smile as he shook Mike's hand. "Need me to autograph anything? I could make an exception for body parts."

"No," Mike said and grinned at hearing that. "I was just curious about something."

"The next Nikki heat," Castle said.

"Well, yes and no," Mike replied. "I'm wondering why you haven't signed into the official forms in the past year."

Castle raised an eyebrow and decided to save himself by taking a sip of coffee. "It just hasn't been a thought in my mind. Also, it helps to keep the questions down about the next book and what I'm going to do and how I'm doing. Are you a friend of the person who controls it?"

"My user name is mikepseudo," Mike said and looked a bit sheepish.

"You were the one behind the food basket," Castle said and laughed. "Gina called me about it and I hope she said thank you on my behalf."

"She did," Mike said and looked a bit embarrassed. "And, forgive me for being a fan, but what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Castle said and took a bite of sandwich. "She never liked it at first," he said. "I think she did as it went on - especially with the movie. At the same time, it feels like I'm walking on her grave if I continue writing Nikki. I might go onto another project and I might write a new Nikki Heat." He paused and then smiled. "You're free to post it. Just give me a call or have Harvey tell me and I'll come on to say it's true."

"I'll probably post it later tonight," Mike said.

"I'll look for it," Castle said and smiled at Harvey waiting in the doorway. "I like the people you employ."

"Yes," Harvey said and looked at Mike. "Mike."

"That's his 'you're in trouble' tone," Castle said with a grin. "Somehow I think you're supposed to be working. But thank you for the talk. And if he asks, do bill me for it."

"Thanks," Mike said as he got up and went over to where Harvey was waiting for him. "I heard a rumor he was in the building."

"He's barely writing," Harvey said. "You could have done something to upset that. It's hard enough to get him writing in the first place."

"He was writing in a little book when I came in," Mike pointed out. "I'm a part of an online community dedicated to him, remember? When Detective Beckett died, I was behind a push to make sure that we sent something to him. It turned out to be cookies and different foods. So yeah, I wanted to know as a fan and yes, I talked to him. But you need to realize that, when I talk to clients, you get better results."

Harvey just looked at Mike after that. "Anything else?"

"Are you going to fire me?" Mike asked after he realized he crossed a line.

"No," Harvey said. "Come back in with me," he said as he walked towards his office.

"Okay..." Mike said and followed Harvey back in. He took his spot in the empty chair and shrugged at Castle. "Not too mad at me."

"Oh yes I am," Harvey said as he closed the door. "But not enough to make sure that you don't sit in on this meeting."

"I already know about the entire online thing," Castle said. "And I'm writing but thinking about doing a secretary that fights crime thing. Mind if I use Donna as a muse?"

"Only if you don't bill us or start following her around the office," Harvey countered. "Mike looked over your contract."

"What did you find, besides things that will make me fall asleep easily?" Castle asked as he turned his attention to Mike.

"Probably some things that you already know. You get five writer blocks before they start to take legal action against you," Mike said. "How many have you used?"

"Since we're here, he's used all of them," Harvey said.

"He's right," Castle said. "What else?"

"The not a loophole," Mike said. "If you give back fifty one percent of your advance, they'll give you another six months without question. You'll get back that part of the advance based on the profit the book raises."

Harvey thought for a moment. "You've already done that, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Castle admitted. "It is why we're here. There's nothing else."

"Actually, there is," Mike said. "If there a psychological issue, they will give you as much time as you need. But it needs to be documented."

"You have an appointment with Doctor Dani on Saturday," Harvey said. "And I'm driving you, so you cannot get out of it."

Castle grumbled. "Fine," he said. 

"Good," Harvey said. "Mike, get to work on research on grief, along with depression that is non diagnosable."

"But he's going to see a shrink," Mike pointed out.

"No, really? I didn't get that from the Doctor I put in front of Dani's name," Harvey said. "Do the research. It's not like you're doing anything else around here."

"What happened?" Castle asked.

"He's benched until he takes the bar," Harvey said before Mike was able to do so.

"I thought we weren't telling clients," Mike said.

"I'm more than a client," Castle said with a grin. "And you're in trouble with Jessica. That's really bad, considering that she can be mean sometimes." He paused as Harvey was looking at him. "She's right behind me, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Mike and Harvey said at the same time.

"It helps I know how to sneak in high heels," Jessica said. She smiled at Mike as he offered his seat.

"Anything else, boss?" Mike asked.

"No," Harvey said and watched Mike leave.

"I should get going too," Castle said as he got up. "Need to do things, plot to write, bunnies to chase."

"See you tomorrow," Harvey said. "Eight am."

"Yes, mon captain," Castle said with a bit of a salute and he was gone.

"I can clear a room," Jessica said with a chuckle.

"As well as other things," Harvey said with a grin. "What's wrong?"

"You know how you asked me the other night if I was okay?" Jessica asked.

"You're not," Harvey said. He had been expecting Jessica to come in and tell him that. He just wasn't sure how well he would take it.

"No, but now you got me double checking myself," Jessica said. "I'm going to get a full check up and it's all your fault. I'm trying to avoid anyone who has a cough or a sneeze. It is insane."

"Don't thank me when they give you the clean bill of health," Harvey said with a grin. "You're going to feel better after they do."

"Ha ha," Jessica said. "Are things going well?"

"Yes," Harvey said. "I'm making Richard Castle's case my priority for a bit and Mike is sitting in on the next bar exam, which is in February. He is only doing scat work and I am making sure he fully understands that he could have been easily killed for what he's done."

"Thank you," Jessica said and stood up. She smiled when Harvey did. "Have a good rest of your day," she said as she left the office.

"I will," Harvey said and sat down again after she left. He went through his day, thinking of the road trip tomorrow and how much fun it was going to be.


	6. Saturday Shrink Wrap

Harvey smiled as he saw the big car pull up to take him over to get Castle and then down to see Doctor Dani. He got up, making sure that he had everything before walking out the door. He nodded at the driver and said "good morning" before getting into the back seat easily. He knew it was better to be on the good side of the driver rather than being a tool. He only hoped that Richard remembered the same thing. He waited until the driver got in and started the car. He looked around and saw that the driver was a Yankees fan. _Better than the Mets_ Harvey thought and chuckled. "Insane World Series, isn't it?" 

"You're telling me," the driver said. "Cardinals and Rangers. I didn't know that the Rangers were going to be good this year. I would have changed the decor."

Harvey listened and thought he heard a bit of Texas twang. "You're from Texas," he said and laughed. "You'd be lynched for it."

"Then I just pull on my usual voice," the driver said in a Texas drawl. He pulled up to a stop light and looked in the mirror back at Harvey. "What about you?"

"Yankees fan," Harvey said. "However, if someone has to win it, let it be American League at least."

"Good point," the driver said. "Is it true - I'm also picking up Richard Castle?"

"Yes," Harvey said and took a sip of coffee. "He might be a bit rough for having to get up this morning and I do apologize for him in advance."

"That's alright," the driver said. "I'm used to being yelled at. I do know who you are though - Harvey Specter. The guy who drives you - can't remember his name at all - says that you're a good guy. Glad to see that he's right."

"Thanks," Harvey said and went quiet as the driver had to navigate between a couple of taxi drivers that were doubling as suicide agents with their cars and a few bicyclists. He smiled as they pulled up to Castle's apartment building. "I'll just be a moment," he said as he got out of the car and let himself into the lobby. He went over to one of the phones and picked it up, dialing Castle's number. "Richard," he said in a gruff tone as the line was answered.

"I fell asleep in my chair," Castle answered. "Don't yell at me. I was writing. I'm bringing along the laptop."

"Good to hear it," Harvey said. "What chapter are you on?"

"Be nice and I might let you read some of it," Castle said and hung up.

Harvey sighed and waited in the lobby. He smiled as he saw Castle come over. He could easily see that Castle didn't look like his depressed self. He was clean, shaved, and actually looked a bit more like a human being. "You're looking a lot better," he said with a grin. "Shall we?"

"I think so," Castle said. "How's the driver?"

"From Texas," Harvey said as the car was waiting there and he didn't even look to see that everything was in order. It easy enough to see that the lock hadn't been opened and he relaxed against the seat. "Excuse me for doing this, but my client and I need to talk," he said and waited for the driver to nod a yes before rolling up the divider. "Are you going to be nice when we see Dani?"

"Maybe," Castle said. "I don't like shrinks."

"She's not a shrink," Harvey said as he opened the newspaper to read.

Castle stretched out his legs in the roomy backseat of the town car. "So what is she then?"

"Therapist," Harvey said. 

"That's not really a difference," Castle said as he opened his laptop and a word document.

Harvey looked out of the corner of his eye as he heard Castle starting to write. "Somehow I don't think I would believe it if you didn't do it."

"Yeah, well, we have time to kill, don't we?" Castle asked.

"She's just in Long Island," Harvey said and sighed. "Are you going to be in this sort of mood?"

"What sort of mood?" Castle asked.

"The 'I am a moody writer and allowed to be pissed at you' mood," Harvey said.

"I forget that you can notice that easier than others," Castle said as he saved his document and closed the laptop. He put it away and turned to look at Harvey. "What if she says I'm fine?"

"You're not," Harvey said.

"And what if she says that I'm too insane to be on my own?" Castle asked.

"Then I'll take you in and we'll become the new odd couple," Harvey said and put down his newspaper as he saw the worry in Richard's eyes. "Richard," he said. "You're going to be fine. Just be open with her and realize that she just wants to help you as much as I do."

"Are you going to be in the room?" Castle asked.

"No," Harvey said.

Castle sighed. "So this is the only alone time that we're going to have for a few hours? I didn't really want to spend my Saturday this way."

"It was the only time that she had an appoint - what are you doing?" Harvey asked as he felt Richard's hand on his crotch.

"A bit of fun," Castle said with a grin as he pulled down the zipper to Harvey's pants and moved his hand in to tease Harvey a bit. "Unless you don't want to have some morning fun. I didn't really get to have mine today."

Harvey stopped Richard's hand and looked at him. "Can't do it right now," he said. "We need to make sure that we aren't doing anything foolish."

"Are you saying that I'm foolish or that my actions are foolish?" Castle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Actions," Harvey said. "Along with the fact that it is unethical to have a relationship with a client."

"Ah," Castle said as he looked out the window. "But yet, you see these stories from time to time about a client and a lawyer getting together - "

"When the case is over or the lawyer is never going to defend the client again," Harvey said. He had made no move to close his pants though.

"What about when the husband lawyer is defending his wife?" Castle asked.

"It's not unethical, but it is frowned upon," Harvey said. "It goes more to the fact - " he stopped as he felt Castle's fingers slowly start to stroke him. "Richard."

"Yes?" Castle asked innocently before moving over and kissing the middle of Harvey's neck. "We've got time and we're in traffic. You put the privacy divider up - "

"So we could talk freely," Harvey countered.

"And you never zipped up your pants," Castle said as he moved his hand to fully undo Harvey's pants and slip his hand inside Harvey's underwear. He smiled as he could feel that Harvey was getting hard. "Up," he said into Harvey's ear and pulled down Harvey's pants so it was a bit easier for what he wanted to do next. He knelt in front of Harvey and kissed the tip of Harvey's cock before starting to softly suck. As he felt Harvey grip tighten on his shoulder, he started to suck harder, using his hands to tease Harvey until Harvey released. 

"You are far too good at that," Harvey said in a breathless voice as he leaned back against the seat.

"You are too kind," Castle said with a grin. He grabbed some Kleenex to clean up the both of them before helping Harvey with his pants. He kissed Harvey's cheek. "You can pay me back later. Either on the way back or later tonight."

"Later tonight," Harvey said with a grin. He relaxed against Castle and slept the rest of the way until he felt Castle kissing his cheek. "We're here?"

"You're cute when you sleep. And yes, we are. What are you going to do while I'm talking to this doctor?" Castle asked.

"I brought work with me. I'm going to go find a Starbucks and work," Harvey said. 

"Harvey, you realize it's Saturday?" Castle asked. "Are you sure you shouldn't be coming in as well? Probably to work on your insanity?"

"I'm a lot better than I have been," Harvey said and smiled at Castle's disbelief. "How do you think I know Dani in the first place? She was recommended to me by a friend and I needed help at the time. I was burning myself out and she helped me realize that it wasn't the job that was burning me out, but my own issues."

"So your megalomania is real?" Castle asked with a grin.

"I don't know why I put up with you," Harvey said with a sigh. He got out of the car and motioned for Castle to get out as well. "Now, just be nice with her. And open. Just talk about what's happening - we need her to give a good report so we can use it when we talk to their lawyers on Monday."

"Monday?" Castle asked and looked a bit panicked.

"This is why I was happy that you were writing," Harvey said and knocked on the door to Dani's office. "Doctor Dani," he said with a smile.

"Hello Harvey," Dani said with a smile and looked over to Richard. 

"Doctor Dani, Richard Castle. Richard, this is Doctor Dani. She has jelly beans," Harvey said.

"Ooo," Castle said and grinned at Dani. "It's good to meet you."

"You as well. The picture on your dust jacket do not do you justice," Dani said with a smile. She moved so Castle could walk into the house.

"And here I thought it was doing well," Castle said as he went in. He went and got some of the jelly beans.

"He's on orders to behave," Harvey told Dani as he watched Richard out of the corner of his eye.

"Something you really didn't have to tell him," Dani says. "When are you going to need my very preliminary report by?"

"Monday morning at nine," Harvey said and handed her an envelope. "For his session and the fact that I'm taking up a lot of your free time with your kids."

Dani smiled and took the envelope. "Thanks Harvey. And we're doing fine but the flowers were a nice touch. Wine would have been better."

"See, that's what I told Donna," Harvey said with a grin. "Come back in an hour or two?"

"Make it two," Dani said and watched Harvey leave before closing the door.

Harvey got back into the car and went to a Starbucks to have a bit of breakfast and work time. He made sure that the driver got a bit of coffee and food as well and went back when it was time to do so. He knocked on the door, two hours later, and smiled as he saw Dani come to the door. "Come back later?"

"No, more that you need to come in," Dani said and motioned Harvey in.

Harvey raised an eyebrow and went inside. He went to the couch and sat down. "What's wrong?"

"She wanted to know more about my relationships and I mentioned you," Castle said. "After Kate, of course."

"Of course," Harvey said and looked up at Dani. "What?"

"Why did you rescue him instead of letting him learn the consequences?" Dani asked.

"Because drinking and driving is something that could get him in prison," Harvey said. "Plus, he called me."

"Which is what I said," Castle pointed out. "And then there was - "

"You don't really need to tell her about that," Harvey said.

"It was very good," Castle remarked.

"It was, but again, not really needing to be said," Harvey pointed out and sighed. "Yes, we're in a relationship. Yes, I know it's bad. But - we both need it. Him more than me."

"Hey, I could get any woman I wanted," Castle retorted.

"Then why haven't you?" Harvey asked and regretted asking that as it seemed like it hurt. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Castle said.

"The both of you have fallen into patterns where you trust each other but it's not healthy at the same time," Dani said. "You either need to come out and explain your feelings for each other or you need to break off the relationship. That would be the healthiest thing for the both of you."

Harvey sighed as he thought about that. "The problem is that I don't know if we can do that. I'm not ready to come out, especially when there are going to be a lot of questions."

"There already are," Castle pointed out. "The Page Six articles and the fact that there are many gossip reporters calling. So it might seem more normal if we did come out. But then again - "

"There's the fact that I'd be slapped so hard it would make my head spin," Harvey said and thought about it. "Unless..."

"Unless what?" Castle asked.

"We lie and say that it's something that happened before I started to represent you again. So it's really more picking up where we left off than picking up something new," Harvey said. 

"Yes, but it's lying," Dani said. 

"It's not as big as the lies I have been telling," Harvey said. "And it might be time. It isn't as bad to be bisexual at the moment as it was about twenty years ago."

"Was it that long?" Castle asked.

"No," Harvey said. "Others."

"Oh. Oh..." Castle said and looked at Harvey. 

"Only way I knew that it was going to be okay with you," Harvey said and looked at Dani. "Could we go back to the original reason why we are here?"

"Yes," Dani said. "In the report, I am going to be classifying Richard as having major depressive disorder that he is slowly starting to come out of. The trigger was Detective Beckett's death and he will be undergoing other sessions of therapy either in person or - "

"Over Skype," Castle said.

"Over Skype," Dani confirmed, "In person would be better but Skype is better than nothing. It is best that he continues his therapy in order to get his life back."

"Thank you," Harvey said. "She told you before I came back."

"She diagnosed me in five minutes," Castle said. "My fans are everywhere."

Dani smiled. "It can’t be helped. But I do think that the two of you need to figure out where you are going and it'll help Richard come out of his depression that much faster. But I am not going to put that in my report. I am just saying that so Harvey can hear it and settle down."

"I am settled," Harvey said. "Remember - the world revolves around me."

"So the megalomania is true," Castle said.

Dani smiled, looking a bit amused. "Alright you two - out. I am going to try to use the rest of my Saturday to better use."

"Right," Castle said and got up. He shook Dani's hand. "Thank you," he said. "It helped to talk about her to someone who is removed from the situation."

"You're welcome," Dani said with a smile. 

"Thank you for doing this, again," Harvey said and got waved off. He took his own little handful of jelly beans and led Richard back to the car. "Do you want to tell me about how it went?"

"I feel better than I have in a long while," Richard said. "Especially after the year I've had."

"Still thinking about killing off Nikki Heat?" Harvey asked as he ate the jelly beans in his hand. He made no sound of protest when Richard stole a few. He waited a few moments before looking at him. "Well?"

"Doctor Dani asked why I wanted to drive her memory away," Castle said quietly. "I pointed out that I didn't, but I wanted separation from - from what could have been. So I got a new idea. I could kill off Jameson Rook."

"Remind me, but aren't the two working together?" Harvey asked.

"Not anymore," Castle said. "They ended working together a bit ago due to Rook having to go on assignment. So the relationship could end or Rook could end due to the overall plot of the book...I know what I'm going to do."

"So it's less asking about killing off the character that is making them a lot of money and more about killing off the main character," Harvey said.

"If they ask, I could say that it is better mentally if I do it that way," Castle said. 

Harvey smiled and kissed Castle's cheek. "Then we will say it that way on Monday," he said. They drove the way home in silence, but it was a silence where Richard was curled up against Harvey. Harvey got out at Richard's place, releasing the driver as his cell phone rang. He sighed but smiled at Richard. "Give me a moment," he said as he answered it as they walked into the building. "Specter."

"Harvey Specter?" A woman's voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Yes," Harvey said.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your Saturday but we need you to come to Bellevue Hospital," the woman said.

Harvey stopped and tried to think if he knew anybody who would need to be in the hospital. "Why?"

"Jessica Pearson was in a car accident. She has you as her emergency contact," the woman replied.

Harvey got up quickly and moved out to the street. "Cab, now," he said to the doorman that was there. A cab was there in a moment and he turned back to Richard, who was confused. "Jessica's in the hospital."

"Do you want me to come with?" Richard asked.

"No - I'll call you," Harvey said and got into the cab. "I'll be there as soon as possible," he said into the phone as he hung up and told the driver where to go. He looked back at Richard and wished he hadn't said that, but it was done. He focused on where he was going and less on the man he left behind when he probably needed him.


	7. Saturday Evening

Harvey walked into the emergency room and looked around for someone he could ask questions of. He saw the registration desk, waited for the person who was there to be done before going over. "Excuse me - I was called to come in for a patient. Jessica Pearson," he said as he tried to keep his voice even. He didn't want to think about what could be happening at the moment. He was going to try to keep his hope up that Jessica was okay and that it was just something minor. He could feel it slowly going away as the phone call kept replaying in his head.

The woman at the desk smiled at him and turned to look up Jessica in the computer. "Are you family?" The woman asked as she waited for the computer to load.

"Yes," Harvey said before even thinking about it. He considered Jessica family and he knew that she felt the same way. "I just need to go see if she's okay. If you could just tell me if she's in a room or if she's still in the emergency room, I would appreciate it." He ignored his cell phone as it started to ring.

"What's your name?" The woman asked.

"Harvey Specter," he answered and smiled a bit. He looked down at his cell phone and saw that it was Richard. He ignored the call for now and would make sure to call him back as soon as he was able to.

"She's still in Emergency but you can go back and see her," the woman said and gave directions. "Sorry for the twenty questions."

"You're only doing your job," Harvey said with the classic grin before following the woman's directions. He ended up where he was supposed to be and went over to what he thought was the nurses' station. "Excuse me," he said to a nurse but was stopped by a finger being held up. His phone rang again and he looked down to see Mike's name on the call. He raised an eyebrow and answered it. "What is it?"

"I don't even get a hello?" Mike asked on the other end of the line.

"You get a minute, don't waste it," Harvey said as he watched the nurses do their jobs. "Why are you calling me on a Saturday?"

"I have time and I wanted to know if I could do any more research on the Richard Castle case," Mike said.

"I'll call you back," Harvey said as he hung up the phone as the nurse turned to talk to him. "Hi - someone called me. I was asked to come in for Jessica Pearson."

A person at the station turned around to look at Harvey. "Harvey Specter?" He asked. He was in dark blue scrubs with a white coat. He had black hair that was graying at the temples and green eyes.

"Yes," Harvey answered.

"I'll take this, Rose," the person said and walked over to Harvey. "I'm Doctor Draper. I was the doctor who was on the scene of the crash and I've been monitoring her since she got here. She's still unconscious but she's stable. The other driver was a joy riding teenager."

"Is the kid alright?" Harvey asked. It wasn't his own question - he wanted to throttle the idiot teenager - but he knew it was a question that Jessica would ask when she woke up.

"Broken leg, but she was wearing a seat belt," Doctor Draper said. "And the airbag deployed. It was just the way that she hit Ms Pearson's car that made the injuries worse."

"Alright," Harvey said. "May I see her? Jessica, I mean."

"Yes," Doctor Draper said and led him to where Jessica was hooked up to different machines and unconscious. "We're looking to move her to the ICU as soon as a bed opens, which should be in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you," Harvey said as he pulled up a chair and sat down. He just sat there and watched her before moving and taking her hand. He sighed as his cell phone rang and saw that it was Richard. "Hi," he said quietly as he answered the phone.

"What happened?" Castle asked.

"Jessica was in a car accident," Harvey answered. "I don't think I have all her family contacts on this phone. Could you go to the office and look through my rolodex? I know they're on there."

"A rolodex? Honestly?" Castle asked but Harvey could hear that the question was just an attempt to make him laugh. "Will I be allowed in?"

"I'll call Mike and he'll meet you there. Wait outside - he rides a bike and he's prone to being late," Harvey said and looked up as a nurse came in. "I have to go. I'll call you with updates when I have them," he said and turned off the phone. "Sorry."

"For what?" The nurse asked and smiled. "We're moving her now," she said and gave Jessica's personal effects to Harvey. "You can walk with us, but she's just going to ICU if you need to finish your call."

"Thank you," Harvey said with a bit of a smile. He moved so they could get to Jessica and he walked towards the elevators. As he did, he punched in Mike's number and hoped his protégé would answer on the first ring. 

"Hello?" Mike asked as he answered his cell phone.

"I need you to get down to the office right away to help Richard Castle get some things out of my office," Harvey said. "You need to be there as soon as you can as I don't want him waiting long. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," Mike said and Harvey could hear he was doing something in the background. "I'll be there as soon as I can be. What is he getting?"

"Numbers out of the rolodex that I don't have in my phone," Harvey said. "This is between the three of us at the moment. Jessica was in a car accident. She's being moved to the ICU and I need to get in contact with her family. I'm the emergency contact due to the fact that I bet neither of us updated anything with this hospital for a while. After you get the things out of the rolodex, put him in a cab to Bellevue."

"Can - May I come with?" Mike asked.

"Yes," Harvey said. "But only because you remembered to ask the right way."

Mike chuckled. "Thanks Harvey," he said and hung up.

Harvey sighed and pushed the button to go up. He went into the elevator and just prayed that everything would go smoothly.

*~*~*~*

Castle was playing around with his cell phone and looked up as he saw Mike coming towards him. "You really ride a bike all over New York?"

"It's the only way I can get around," Mike said as he took off his helmet and locked up his bike. "Harvey told me what's happening. It's a bit insane. We've also been sworn to silence."

"What's our cover story?" Castle asked.

"I - I don't have one," Mike said.

"Got to think on your feet," Castle said. "I left a notebook in Harvey's office. I always keep a few spare on me so we can use it for when we come back down. That way, nobody knows and it doesn't look like Harvey is wasting his own time even though I'm a bigger client."

"Ah," Mike said. "Not really if it is more thinking on your feet or being comfortable with lying."

"You've got to do both to survive," Castle pointed out as he led the way inside. 

The security guard looked up at Castle and then over to Mike. "Specter's really whipping you, isn't he?"

"Make one small slip up," Mike said with a grin. "Mister Castle forgot a notebook in Harvey's office. We'll only be a minute."

"Okay," the guard said and let them through.

They walked through to the elevators. Castle waited until they were inside the elevator before he let out a breath of relief. "That went very well."

"They know me," Mike said. "And they know that Harvey is working me hard so...it's not that much of a stretch," he said and shrugged. "Why does Harvey keep a rolodex?"

"Because he's old school in a lot of ways," Castle said as he looked up to the numbers.

"Some way more than others?" Mike asked.

"I'm not confirming or denying anything," Castle said. "Which means that you will have to ask him. If you can do that, more power to you. If you can't...well, then less power to you, of course."

The elevator dinged and Mike stepped out first. He led Castle down the hallway to Harvey's office and opened the door for Castle. "Now, where does he keep it? As I never see it on his desk."

"He's too crafty for that," Castle said as he walked past Mike. He sat down in Harvey's chair and went for the third drawer down near the floor with the desk. He raised an eyebrow as he felt it was locked. He got out his cell phone and dialed Harvey. "Harvey, it's locked." He listened for a moment before finding the key in the center drawer. "Got it. Thanks," he said and hung up the phone. He unlocked the desk drawer and pulled out the rolodex. "Found it."

Mike sat down in his usual chair and looked at Richard. "So, how long have the two of you known each other?"

"Feel like forever," Castle said as he flipped to where the names and numbers of Jessica's family would be. "Here we go," he said and made sure to get Jessica's ex-husband's name and number as well. He looked up at Mike. "He was around for when I published my first book and made sure that I didn't lose anything."

"So a long while," Mike said with a smile. "I'm supposed to put you in a cab when we're done, but would you mind if I came with? I just want to - " he turned around as he heard the door open. "Hi Rachel," he said. "Richard Castle, Rachel Zane, who had taught me a great deal of things."

"I thought you weren't working today," Rachel said as she looked at Mike. "And it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Harvey called in a last minute favor. And you said the same thing and look where you are too," Mike pointed out.

"I'm just going to get out of the hair of the two of you," Castle said as he put away the rolodex and made sure that the drawer locked. He put the key back where it should be. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Rachel Zane. Great name, by the way."

"I'll come with you," Mike said as he stood up. 

"Well, just walk me down and then the two of you could go on to whatever you're going to do," Castle said with a smile. "Since it seems that we're all done?"

"That would be fine," Rachel said. "I'll grab my coat," she said and left the room.

"Thank you," Mike said.

"You need to learn that when a woman says that they'll be working all day, you need to drag them away from work," Castle said. "And don't wait too long - never know when it's going to be your last."

Mike nodded a yes. "Thank you," he said. They waited for Rachel to get back and went down together. Mike made sure that Castle got in his cab and turned to Rachel. "Sushi?" He asked with a smile. "You pick the place and I'll buy."

"You finally have the money to do that?" Rachel asked.

"Yes," Mike said with a smile as he turned and kissed her lips. They held the kiss for a long moment before Mike gently broke it. 

"I like the sound of that," Rachel said as she pulled Mike in for another long kiss. They held it until they needed to breathe and got into the cab. Sushi was the last thing on their mind as they went to Rachel's place, living like it was the last time they would have on Earth together. She didn't question it and she wasn't going to start.


	8. Sunday Hospital Visit

Harvey woke up in his own bed on Sunday, looking around confused at the fact that he was at home. He remembered that he spent the day with Richard and then … of course. He was at home because Jessica had been in the car accident and he wanted to be at home to get a shower and a change of clothes. It nearly brought up an argument on how Harvey should at least have a change of clothes at Richard’s place but it stopped when Richard saw how tired Harvey was. He looked around for his cell phone, checking for messages, before he got up for that shower and a change of clothes.

He decided to just go to the hospital instead of calling to see if there was anything new. He was a bit surprised to get to ICU and learn that Jessica had been moved to a private room but he didn’t question it too much. He just went to the correct floor and knocked on the door before entering. He smiled at seeing her awake, even though her left arm and right leg were both in casts. “I hope they’re giving you the good drugs.”

“If they weren’t, I would be yelling at them,” Jessica said. 

Harvey smiled and sat down in a chair. “When were you moved?”

“Around ten,” Jessica said. “They waited to put any sort of cast on me until I was awake, since the breaks were clean and there wasn’t any sort of muscle damage.”

“Well, if you’re going to break a bone, that’s the way to go,” Harvey said with a smile.

“How the other driver?” Jessica asked.

“Fine,” Harvey said. “Just her arm broke – she was wearing her seatbelt. I’ll take care of it if anything comes of it. I doubt it will; she was joyriding at the time.”

“Well, the original owner of the car might,” Jessica said. “It doesn’t matter.”

Harvey smiled at that. “So, this means you actually get to have a vacation.”

“I am not calling this a vacation and neither should you,” Jessica said.

“Well deserved rest,” Castle said from behind the vase of lilies that he was carrying. He put them down on the ledge. “Hope you aren’t allergic.”

“I’m not – thank you,” Jessica said. “They’re beautiful.”

“From Harvey and me,” Castle said. 

Harvey made a mental note to thank Richard later for including him on that. And also smack him for not being able to keep a secret for more than a week. “Well, I hope that you like them.”

“I do,” Jessica said and motioned for Castle to close the door. “Do I have any reason to be concerned that you’re getting my top lawyer into ethical trouble?”

Castle looked innocently shocked. “Ethical?”

“Richard,” Harvey said, his tone a bit sharp.

“Fine,” Castle said. “I’m not. At least, I don’t think I am. I also don’t get what’s so wrong about it.”

“It undermines objective detachment,” Harvey said. “I think I’ve been more than objective though.”

“Alright,” Jessica said. “Are you going to be alright being alone in the meeting tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Harvey said. “I’ll bring Mike in, but I don’t think there needs to be more than the two of us. I don’t expect anything to go wrong. Richard on the other hand…”

“I have writer’s brain, remember?” Richard said. “Besides, I believe life is more fun when you think that zombies are real and we’re about to have the apocalypse any day now.”

Harvey sighed. “See what I have to put up with?”

“You seem to be fine with it,” Jessica said. “Just get through Monday and we’ll talk about what else to do later.”

“Alright,” Harvey said. “Anything else?”

“I’m pretty set here,” Jessica said. “I’m going to relax and enjoy not having to do anything before I go stir crazy in an hour.”

“So I should come back?” Harvey asked.

“No, by that time, someone else will visit,” Jessica said with a grin. “Or I’ll call someone. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll drag him out,” Castle said, moving to grab Harvey’s arm.

“I do have to tell him one more thing,” Jessica said. “So out.”

“He’s going to tell me anyways,” Castle said.

“No I won’t,” Harvey said. “So out.”

“Fine, fine,” Castle said and left the room.

Harvey turned to Jessica. “Think I should have Mike take over?”

“Yeah,” Jessica said. “You’re too emotionally involved. A blind person could see it. It’s cute though and I’m glad you found someone.”

“I – I don’t think it is quite like that just yet,” Harvey said. “But I’ll tell Mike as soon as I’m able to. He’s ready.” He paused for a moment. “You’re not worried about him taking over a meeting without having taken the bar yet?”

“Considering that you’ve had him doing everything else, you’re just asking this now?” Jessica asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Good point,” Harvey said. “Should I tell Richard?”

“Unless you want to give him a nasty shock,” Jessica said. “Just make sure that he understands why and you’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Harvey said. “Anything else?”

“I might be calling you later if I get bored,” Jessica said with a grin. “And you’re in charge until I’m able to get back in.”

“So, until Monday,” Harvey said and ducked when she threw a pillow at him. He got it, dusted it off, and put it back into position. “Still got a wicked throw.”

“Thanks,” Jessica said. “Now, get.”

“Yes ma’am,” Harvey said and went out to the hallway. He looked around before heading over to the nurse’s station where Richard was chatting up a couple of them. He smiled to himself and caught Richard’s eye, which made him come over. “Ready if you are.”

“Been ready for a while,” Richard said as the two of them made their way out of the hospital. “This way,” he said as he led the way to a car that was waiting for them. “Easier than trying to hail a cab.”

“Thanks,” Harvey said and got into the car. He relaxed for a moment as Richard gave the address for his apartment, closing his eyes until Richard leaned against him. He made sure that the privacy scree was up before he said anything. “Got to tell you something.”

“What?” Castle asked.

“I’m going to have to let Mike take over the case,” Harvey said. He sighed as that made Richard sit up and look at him. “I’ve become too involved with you. Jessica noticed it.”

“Jessica notices a lot about you,” Castle said. “I don’t understand why you can’t just continue.”

“Because I’d be risking my license,” Harvey said. “There’s a thing called professional conduct. If anybody figured it out, especially Gina’s lawyer, I could be called up against an ethics board. And what would they do about your contact? I’m thinking about not just myself but about you. I don’t want to put your livelihood in jeopardy.”

Castle took a breath and thought about all of that. “So you’re really not supposed to have any sort of personal relationship?”

“No,” Harvey said. He moved and kissed Richard deeply and lovingly. “Doesn’t mean I don’t love you though.”

That made Castle freeze at hearing that. “What?”

“You heard me,” Harvey said with a grin. “Especially with freezing like that. I’ll wait, Richard. But don’t keep me waiting for too long.”

“Right,” Castle said quietly. “Mind if I’m just dropped off at home?”

“No,” Harvey said. “I’ll see you Monday?”

“Yeah,” Castle said before kissing Harvey. “Even though I like that kiss.”

“Don’t forget to bring what you’re working on and I’ll give you more than kisses Monday night.”

“Now that I really like,” Castle said with a grin. He relaxed against Harvey and got out at his apartment. He waved as Harvey went off and went up into the apartment alone. He went to the laptop and wrote a bit, but nothing really felt right. He decided to give pushing himself to write a rest and powered up the Wii, working through some frustrations until he was able to sit down and finish up the chapter he was working on.


	9. Monday Lawyers

Harvey was tense as he waited for Richard to arrive the next morning at the office. He was glad that Mike was already there – early for once in his life – and was entertaining Gina and the house council for the publishing house. He breathed a sigh of relief as Richard came off of the elevator but his eyes narrowed at seeing the sunglasses. “You’re late,” he went with instead of a different greeting. His voice was gruff and he made no move to cover his annoyance. “Are you hung over and that’s the reason for the sunglasses?”

“No, but thanks for wondering about that,” Castle said and took off the sunglasses to show normal eyes. “Traffic was horrible, as it usually is in New York City, and I didn’t allow enough time. Are you going to punish me now or later?”

“Never is starting to be a possibility,” Harvey muttered and gently took Castle’s arm to lead him into his office for a moment. “Are you ready for this meeting?”

“Yes and no,” Castle said. “I doubt I’m ever going to be ready for this meeting. But we should get it over with.”

“I hate it when you get like this,” Harvey said. “Are you really that angry that Mike is taking over? If anything, he might be in a better position to get you more than I could.”

Castle was quiet for a long moment before nodding a yes. “Fine. I am that angry about this. But I also trust that you’re doing the best for yourself. You always do that in the end. This time shouldn’t be different.”

Harvey blinked. “What happened between last night and today?”

“I feel like you don’t care,” Castle said. “I feel like you’re more worried about keeping your job than being with me. I’m worried that you have met someone else and haven’t told me about it.”

“Richard… last night I told you that I love you. Do you know how many people I’ve said that to? One. And she laughed at me and went to marry someone else. It was the best thing for Jessica to do, in the end. So, I don’t know how you can say that I don’t care. Is it because I went home instead of staying with you? You were the one who wanted to just be drop off. Is it because I didn’t push? I just don’t understand what you really want in the end,” Harvey said. He was about to say something else when there was a knock at the door. “What?”

Mike moved into the office. “They’re asking if we can get started or not.”

Castle looked at Harvey for a long moment before turning to Mike. “Yes, we can.”

Harvey took a moment to bury everything before following Mike and Castle to the meeting room. “Mike,” he said.

Mike moved over to Harvey as Castle went in. “Don’t talk, right?”

“You’re taking over this account,” Harvey said. “As of right now, he is your client and you need to work for him as hard as you can.”

Mike looked at Harvey in shock before regaining his composure. “Um, alright. Why?”

“I’m compromised in judgment,” Harvey replied.

“So Page Six is true?” Mike asked.

Harvey gave Mike a look that made the younger associate squirm. He smiled at that. “It might be. Either way, step up. You’re already on thin ice.”

“Yeah,” Mike said and went into the meeting room.

“Good morning gentlemen,” Gina said. “You’re never late when it comes to your work.”

“First time for everything,” Castle said. “Plus, traffic sucks.”

“We can agree on that,” the house lawyer said. “Thomas McDermott. And you do not have to introduce yourself.”

“Glad to know I get around,” Harvey said with a smile. “My young associate Mike Ross. He’s going to be taking over, starting today.”

Gina raised an eyebrow but nodded a yes. “Sounds good to me. So, Richard – “

“I want to kill off Jameson Rook,” Castle interrupted.

“No,” Gina said.

“Why?” Castle asked.

“Because we’re doing too well for you to not continue on with both characters,” Gina pointed out.

“But there’s nothing in the contract that says that he has to keep on characters,” Mike said. “In fact, you give him free reign over his characters to kill them off or keep them at his whim. So I’m not sure why you’re complaining.”

“We can decide not to take him on when his contract expires,” Gina said. “Or take on any new project of his. Plus, as it says in the contract, we have right of first refusal.”

“You’re threatening to stonewall his work? In this day and age?” Harvey asked.

“But it is in the contract,” Thomas said as he pulled out a page that was highlighted. “We do get right of first refusal and it does not say how quick we have to return his work to him. Therefore, we could keep any new project of his under wraps and make sure that any press statements he tries to get out are quashed. It was written in at the time that the first ever contract was drawn up to protect the publishing house.”

Castle looked at Gina. “I don’t want to continue at all. She didn’t want it and I can easily make a case about how it feels like walking on her grave. Kill Jameson off at least gives me a chance to break off a part of myself that is still connected to her. I’m not about to kill off Nikki, not yet, but you’ve got to give me some sort of distance.”

“Why not put him in a coma then?” Mike asked before anybody could stop him. “See how fan reaction is and go from there. You can easily bring it up in interviews how you feel you’re not honoring her memory right or how it is helping to give distance.”

“I would be fine with that,” Gina said. 

Castle nodded a yes and looked to Harvey. “He’s more creative than you.”

“More than you as well,” Harvey quipped. “Now that we have figured out what to do with that, there’s the more pressing matter at hand.”

“Yes,” Gina said. “Do you have the report from Doctor Santino?”

“Yes,” Harvey said as Mike handed out the reports. “And she is willing to take calls from either of you to speak about how she came to this diagnosis.”

“Hrm,” Gina said as she read through it and then looked at Richard. “How much more time do you need? I’d like to have it hitting the shelves around the time of the memorial.”

“With the rate that I’m writing at the moment – another month, maybe two at the most,” Castle replied. “Then you’ll have it and we can hash out the details from there. Including the fact that I don’t want to be doing a book tour when it’s the anniversary of her death.”

Gina looked to Thomas. “Is there any objection to that?”

Thomas shook his head no. “He clears the medical clause in his contract and is willing to work within the time frame agreed on. We won’t have to take further action.”

“Good,” Harvey said as Gina and Thomas stood up. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

“You’re welcome,” Gina said and made their goodbyes.

“Good first meeting,” Castle said to Mike. “Even though you might have missed something with reading over it.”

“No, I saw and remembered it,” Mike said. “I just wasn’t looking for that when I first read it.”

“Remembered it?” Castle asked.

“He’s got a talent that he can read anything once and then just remember it and call up what he needs when necessary,” Harvey said. “Which is why I hired him in the first place.”

“We should tell him about that,” Mike said. “It’s good enough to be fiction.”

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas of my own, but thanks,” Castle said with a grin. 

“Well, I better go do something else,” Mike said.

“Like studying,” Harvey said.

“Fake studying,” Mike muttered but left.

Castle shook his head, looking amused. “You’re too hard on him.”

“I want him to be able to step into my shoes when the time’s right,” Harvey said. “I have to push him. Otherwise, I might have another Louis on my hand. A smarter Louis. I’d rather not.”

“Good point,” Castle said and looked around before talking in a quieter voice. “Are you coming by tonight?”

“If I can,” Harvey replied in a quiet voice. “I’ve got to do my job and Jessica’s until she’s back. Either way, I’ll call.”

“You know I’m a night owl, so no time is too late,” Castle said and turned to leave.

“I know,” Harvey said and watched Castle leave. He sighed and got back to work, doing his job and some of the things that Jessica needed him to do. The day went by fast and by the time he was ready to leave, all he wanted to do was go to bed. He texted instead of calling as he got into a cab and went home. He didn’t even make it to the bed, falling asleep on the couch and missing the first of many calls from Richard.


	10. One Month Later

It had been a month since the meeting and it had been one of the busiest in Harvey’s life. He was doing his job and everything that Jessica had to do in order to keep the firm running. He barely had time for anything else and a part of him was glad that Richard was keeping himself busy with writing the book. There was a dinner here and there, but he knew that Richard’s patience was running thin. _So is mine_ he thought as he signed off on something and looked up at the knock on his door. He smiled at seeing Jessica, even if she was in a wheelchair. “I thought you weren’t back until Monday.”

“I was driving myself crazy at home,” Jessica said. “And I hear that you’ve been driving everyone crazy here.”

“I have not,” Harvey said.

“Donna filled me in, Harvey,” Jessica said. “You can’t hide that easily. Especially when you nearly came to actual blows with Lewis.”

Harvey sighed. “It was over something stupid as well. I did apologize. And send a fruit basket where an apple got thrown at my head. I threw it back though. We seem to be doing a lot better since then.”

Jessica smiled. “Because your sense of humor actually lightened up?”

“Possibly,” Harvey said. “Or maybe we’re both trying harder. And if I ever say that I want your job again, please feel free to bean me with something heavy.”

“Duly noted,” Jessica said. “Have you been doing your job and mine the entire month? You do have an associate that you can pass things on to.”

“One who hasn’t passed the bar,” Harvey countered. “And he’s been doing something things.”

“Good,” Jessica said. “How are you and Richard Castle?”

Harvey shook his head. “Not well, but our work has been keeping each other busy. So I’m not sure if it’s more work or the fact that he’s pushing me away.”

“Well, you just need to push back,” Jessica said. “How would a week off sound?”

Harvey raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”

“If only so you don’t blow up at me,” Jessica said. “It’s only Tuesday. Why not take the rest of the week and just relax? Think about where you want to be and if you really enjoy your single life as it is right now.”

“You just want me in a relationship,” Harvey countered.

“I just want you to be happy,” Jessica said. “It’s been a long while since I’ve seen you happy, Harvey. So, yes, I am being a bit selfish in pushing you out of the office, but I am doing it for your own good. Give whatever you need to be done this week to Mike. I’ll have Donna reschedule any court appearances and any client meetings. We’ll be apologetic, but you need this.”

Harvey sighed. “Alright,” he said. “And I’m not in court this week, which is a good thing.” He looked through what he had on his desk and made a pile to take down to Mike. “And thanks for this.”

“You’re welcome,” Jessica said and left the room.

Harvey wrote down a quick list of instructions for the work and went over to Donna. “Reschedule any meeting I have for the rest of the week. I won’t be back until Monday.”

“Glad you decided to do what Jessica asked,” Donna said with a smile. “And I’ve already rescheduled.”

“I’m not sure if I like you knowing everything but nothing would work if you didn’t,” Harvey said with a grin. “Happen to know where Mike is?”

“Behind you,” Mike replied.

Harvey turned around and gave Mike the stack of folders with his instructions on top. “Your work for the week. Donna knows how to reach me if you have questions, but otherwise, you’re to get through this on your own.”

“But – alright,” Mike said. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just not going to be here until Monday. Jessica’s back, so make sure she doesn’t need you to do anything as well. It’ll help you get back into her good graces.”

“Got it,” Mike said. “Have fun.”

“Plan on it,” Harvey said as he got his coat and left the office.

*~*~*~*

Castle was basking in the fact that he had gotten the book done in under a month when the plan was for two months. Sure, the basking was taking a nap on the couch while soft jazz played in the background, but it worked. The problem was that he was rethinking everything that he had just submitted but he had to let it go. _Wish someone would call or come by_ he randomly thought and jumped when he heard the door. He got up and went over to the door, opening it when he saw it was Harvey. “Hi.”

“Hello,” Harvey said and held up a tray of coffee from Starbucks and a bag of pastries from the City Bakery. “Am I allowed to come in?”

“I really might just take both from you and run,” Castle said but let Harvey come in. “It’s been a while.”

“I’ve been busy,” Harvey replied as he went into the kitchen. He sighed as he saw a sink full of dirty dishes. “Really?”

“What?” Castle asked and came over to the kitchen. He brushed up against Harvey and shrugged. “I’ve been writing a book.”

“I’ve been working 12 to 15 hour days and I manage to have my kitchen clean,” Harvey countered.

“Are you even able to use your kitchen working that much?” Castle countered. 

“Touché,” Harvey said. “Jessica came back. She made me take the rest of the week off.”

“Really?” Castle asked. “And you come with this type of peace offering?”

“And dinner tonight at your favorite sushi place,” Harvey said.

Castle paused and then grinned. “I might be open to hearing you grovel.”

“I don’t grovel,” Harvey said.

“You do in bed,” Castle said as he took the coffee marked with RC. 

“Only in bed and only to you,” Harvey said. “So am I forgiven?”

“Yes and no,” Castle said. “We need to talk.”

“…Such lovely words you use,” Harvey said. “Should I be looking up for an acme anvil?”

“No, but that is a good idea,” Castle said. “I had a session with Doctor Dani last night. And I was a bit angry last night.”

“I think the anger bug is going around,” Harvey said. “I nearly punched Lewis’ lights out yesterday.”

“I would have paid money to see that, but this is about me and not you,” Castle said and smiled as Harvey sat down. “She thinks that I might be angry because we haven’t really defined our relationship. I asked her if that was all of it, but she thinks that it is tied into the fact that the memorial is coming up. And I do kind of hate you that you didn’t really notice it or have been talking to me at all.”

“How about now that I explained what was happening?” Harvey asked after a short silence.

“You’re making up very well,” Castle replied. “And I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“I was doing my job and Jessica’s,” Harvey said. “See burnout and nearly punching Lewis.”

“Again, would have paid money,” Castle said and grinned. “But there’s something else to this.”

“What?” Harvey asked.

“Since you’re no longer my lawyer and everything, would you mind if we both came out of the closet and had our relationship out in the open?” Castle asked.

“…What?” Harvey asked and regretted saying that. “Sorry. The better question is why do you want to?”

“Well, mom and Alexis already know,” Castle said. “They’re both surprised that I didn’t sooner. Jessica already knows, right?”

“Right,” Harvey said.

“So, what does it matter if we come out to the rest of the world? Would it be so horrible?” Castle asked.

“For you, no,” Harvey replied. “You’ve got celebrity status. I am a lowly lawyer.”

“A lowly lawyer that I love even though it took me a bit more than a month to admit it,” Castle said. “This isn’t the dark ages of the 80s anymore, Harvey.”

“I know, Richard,” Harvey said quietly before moving and kissing Richard lovingly. “Fine.”

“Could I do it tonight at the Q&A that I’m dragging you to?” Castle asked.

Harvey groaned. “Must you?”

“Not unless directly asked,” Castle said and kissed Harvey’s lips again. “When’s the dinner reservation?”

“Eight,” Harvey replied.

“So, we’ll go through the Q&A, come out to a small gathering of people that call themselves my fans, and get sushi,” Castle said.

“I might drop you on your head and go for sushi myself,” Harvey said and smiled as Castle laughed. The rest of the day went slowly and, thankfully, Castle did not come out to the Q&A group. They had their sushi and went home together, just happy to be together without any of the worry that tomorrow would bring.


End file.
